Citation: Bunce, E. C. (2008). A curse as dark as gold. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 978-0-329-76851-5
Award: William C. Morris Award, 2009
Summary: This is a tale very similar to Rumpelstiltskin where the main character, Charlotte, and her sister Rosie, are terrorized by witchcraft, ghosts, and Jack Spinner, a petite little man who promises Charlotte he will spin her a room full of gold straw in return for things that Charlotte finds hard to trade. After their father dies, Charlotte finds she must take many risks to save the family mill business.
Why I liked it...
Knowing the original Rumpelstiltskin tale, I enjoyed thinking about the similarities of this book and the original tale while I read. I enjoyed the heroinistic characteristics of Charlotte as she learns about the choices she makes and their consequences. Young adult girls will enjoy this book very much!
Kentucky Common Core Curriculum Grade 9-10CC.9-10.R.L.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Classroom Activity using Developing Content Area Literacy Strategy 14: Analyzing Relationships in Text with Conflict Dissection
Before reading the teacher will ask the students to define conflict and resolution on descriptive webs. The teacher models how to analyze the relationships using an excerpt from a different short story using the Conflict Dissection Strategy Chart. The teacher explains the main character, motivation, conflict, and solution sections of the chart. During the reading, students are assigned into groups to work on the chart. After reading, the groups complete the graphic organizers and write a summary of the information and for homework or in the next class section, students practice using the graphic organizer.
Citation: Bunce, E. C. (2008). A curse as dark as gold. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 978-0-329-76851-5
Award: William C. Morris Award, 2009
Summary: This is a tale very similar to Rumpelstiltskin where the main character, Charlotte, and her sister Rosie, are terrorized by witchcraft, ghosts, and Jack Spinner, a petite little man who promises Charlotte he will spin her a room full of gold straw in return for things that Charlotte finds hard to trade. After their father dies, Charlotte finds she must take many risks to save the family mill business.
Why I liked it...
Knowing the original Rumpelstiltskin tale, I enjoyed thinking about the similarities of this book and the original tale while I read. I enjoyed the heroinistic characteristics of Charlotte as she learns about the choices she makes and their consequences. Young adult girls will enjoy this book very much!
Kentucky Common Core Curriculum Grade 9-10CC.9-10.R.L.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Classroom Activity using Developing Content Area Literacy Strategy 14: Analyzing Relationships in Text with Conflict Dissection
Before reading the teacher will ask the students to define conflict and resolution on descriptive webs. The teacher models how to analyze the relationships using an excerpt from a different short story using the Conflict Dissection Strategy Chart. The teacher explains the main character, motivation, conflict, and solution sections of the chart. During the reading, students are assigned into groups to work on the chart. After reading, the groups complete the graphic organizers and write a summary of the information and for homework or in the next class section, students practice using the graphic organizer.